Tag: two stars

Note: this post is kinda along the lines of a Reading Rant, but not exactly.

When you saw “graphic” and “Christian fiction” in the same title, you probably either laughed or winced.The ones who winced have actually read Christian fiction.

Seriously, though, ladies and gents, you know I hate writing negative reviews … especially negative reviews based on content. You see, I feel unfair giving a book a bad review just ’cause it was worldly.

I mean, seriously. Can I really expect non-Christian authors to write clean books?

However, when it’s a Christian fiction book, I get quite angry. I huff and I puff. Christians should abide by God’s rules for the things we think on (whatsoever things are good, pure, noble, just, lovely, and of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy), and when they don’t, it upsets me.

I was just going to have this be a mini review post, but I realized the genres were kind of … exactly the same. So this post is ‘7 Christian Historical Romances.’ Hopefully you enjoy these reviews.

And no, these aren’t any particular Christian Historical Romances. They’re just ones I needed to review that I grouped together to do mini reviews of.

It Happened at the Fair by Deeanne Gist

For the most part, this was a great book. I loved Cullen and Della, and everything about the fair was absolutely fascinating. I also loved reading about the school for deaf children, etc. That was part heartbreaking, part intriguing. I don’t really have any complaints about the characters, plot, setting, or writing … I thought it was all pretty awesome! It even deals with some tough issues of the time.

However, the content was a little much for a book of this particular genre. Cullen’s former fiancée tries to talk him into sleeping with her (basically). It’s a brief scene, but … still. Too much. Also, we kinda-sorta get a peek at the wedding night of the main characters’. It’s not an actual scene, but it’s led up to, if you will. Then Cullen does spend a lot of time staring at Della’s lips … but … if you read the book (or even the synopsis), you’ll understand why. 😉

All in Good Time by Maureen Lang

This novel deals with a time and place I don’t often visit – Denver, Colorado of 1887. It also touches on a difficult subject – prostitution. Basically, the main character, Dessa Caldwell, is trying to found a refuge for former prostitutes (and needs the help of handsome bank manager Henry Hawkins to do it). However, I thought it was well dealt with. The content didn’t feel like too much (although I still wouldn’t recommend it to younger readers because it just isn’t good subject-matter for them).

I was a little worried that Henry’s secret past wasn’t dealt with as fully as it should have been, but maybe that’s just me. Also, the book seemed to drag in a couple places. I didn’t enjoy it a ton, but it still was interesting, and Della was endearing.

A Note Yet Unsung by Tamera Alexander

I don’t know if I’ve yet to express how much I love Belmont Mansion and its owner, Adelicia Acklen. Also, I’m a huge fan of Tamera Alexander’s writing style and the settings she chooses for her novels.

Things I loved included Tate, Rebekah, basically everything related to the orchestra and music, seeing characters from the old novel, Adelicia herself, the mansion.

Things I didn’t love so much included a super-rushed ending, quite a lot of kissing (you know, for this genre), and Rebekah’s stepfather (who tried to rape her when she was a young; there is some talk about this, but it’s never described).

When Hope Springs New by Janette Oke

I feel like there was only meant to be one or two of these books and Janette Oke just kept stringing them out ’cause they were popular. I didn’t really enjoy this book very much. I liked Elizabeth and Wynn still, yes, but I guess I just got sick of them. It’s the same Elizabeth and Wynn of the last three books, and I guess some people really want that, but I just can’t take it anymore.

I guess I just ended up being kinda disappointed with this series as a whole. I did love the first book, but after that they got steadily worse and worse. Yes, there’s a lot of sweet Christian content, but I never absolutely loved Elizabeth. Then, in this book, the ending seemed so random and just there. Not worth the rest, in my opinion.

The Pelican Bride by Beth White

I loved parts of this book, what with its original setting and interesting characters. The romance took up a small part of the story, which was refreshing.

However, there seemed to be a lot of content. I’m not too worried about the violence. There was nothing gory, but the French were at war with some of the American Indians as well as the Brittish and all sides could be pretty ruthless. I didn’t even mind the mentions of how the French took Indian mistresses and sired illegitimate children. I mean, that actually happened; we can’t just ignore it!

I’m talking about all that talk about the wedding night. Goodness gracious, what was that for? We didn’t need to go that far! Sure, the book doesn’t actually show sex, but it shows what I’d call foreplay. Seriously. Not something I want to read.

Other than that, it was pretty awesome. The author clearly did her homework. I recently studied this period, and seeing it play out in a fictional world was fun for me.

Promise Me This by Cathy Gohlke

Not a great book, but not a bad book. It skipped forward rather suddenly a couple times, oftentimes skimming over years. It was kind of divided into two parts; the Titantic and the war. Between then, the events are kinda foggy. (And yes, a lot of reviewers said the exact thing, but it bears restating.)

Then there were just too many POVs. Don’t get me wrong; I love seeing the world of a book from as many perspectives as possible. However, this was just too much. A lot of characters just got one scene and for the rest of the book either didn’t exist or weren’t important. This was extremely annoying.

I did enjoy it, I just didn’t love it. I don’t think it was as well-done as it could have been, and it was pretty confusing at times.

The Widow of Larkspur Inn by Lawana Blackwell

This was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. There were a couple issues (which I’ll address below; I literally wrote them down because I read this on vacation and was bored), but other than that, I really loved it. Great characters, great plot, great setting. I especially loved Julia, Fiona, Mr. Clay, and … okay, yep, I loved all of them.

So, the negatives:

Trumpets, baritones, etc. aren’t “wind instruments.” Just sayin’.

I believe housekeepers were called “Mrs.” even when they weren’t? Correct me if I’m wrong. I don’t know for sure.

What happened to half-mourning? Julia just seems to hop out of mourning at the end of a year, but that wasn’t how it worked. In fact, it seems like a lot of the rules of mourning were ignored.

The formatting was pretty awful in the Kindle version I had. Not really a problem wit the book, but, um, I wrote it down, so …

There were a couple places where the author randomly head-hopped at the very end (about 90%+). And a few typos here and there, I think.

Were American fashions seriously considered fashionable in England? Okay, yes, maybe they were, but … I’d never heard it before. And, again, I wrote it down, so …

I don’t believe the English school system was at all like the American school system of the time. I believe you had to pay to put your children in school except in the case of charity schools (which this school didn’t appear to be). (Again, I could be wrong!)

Today I’m going to be reviewing six lovely books. Most of them are historical romances. Okay, all but one are historical romances. *hides* Sorry, guys … I tend to stick to one genre most of the time. And then get behind reviewing them because I read them for pleasure, not for review. *shrugs*

On other news, I’ve moved my schedule to Monday and Thursday instead of Tuesday and Thursday. I think this will be better because it spreads the posts out somewhat (and give us a bit of variety, as reviews are going to be only on Monday except when I can’t help it for whatever reason).

I’m going to try to post more fun stuff over the summer. Sorry for all the dull reviews! I have about twenty-five books that need to be reviewed at this point – some of which I’ve read, some of which I haven’t.

A Mighty Fortress by Faith Blum

Joshua and Ruth Brookings are traveling by stagecoach to finally join their parents in Montana. Attacked by murderous outlaws, the teens barely escape with their lives and must survive in the barren Wyoming and Montana territories and escape the man who’s hunting them.

Seven years ago, Jed Stuart ran away from home and joined Tom’s gang. Jed is tired of the lawlessness and wants out. The only problem? He is the boss’s right-hand man and will never be able to leave. And what’s one more stagecoach robbery, anyway?

Can Joshua lean on God’s strength to keep himself and his sister alive until they find a town? Will Jed be able to face his anger or will it consume him completely? All three are running–the hunter and hunted. What will happen when they meet?

This was one of those books I just had to slog through. I was determined to finish it, but I really didn’t want to. I didn’t enjoy it. However, it wasn’t all bad, and it may be for some people more than me.

Note: the author has improved so much since writing of this book, and I really have enjoyed her more recent works.

Plot: 3/5

It started out pretty well, but towards the middle it dragged on and on. Also, when dealing with the dual story lines of Joshua/Ruth and Jed, it skipped all over the place. One moment we’d be a month ahead, the next we’d be two months behind, the next we’d be a year ago, and so on.

Characters: 3/5

There were quite a few characters towards the end, but I easily kept them separated in my head. I didn’t really like Ruth (I found her to be a bit of a Mary Sue) or Joshua (same). They both seemed judgmental to me.

I did like Jed, who was presumably the antagonist. I looked forward to seeing what happened next to him. He made me want to write a Western. I don’t know why, but I just find the outlaws and sheriffs and such of the old west to be fascinating. Probably too much John Wayne …

Setting: 3/5

The description was pretty good. I really do want to visit Montana someday. I didn’t really see anything missing in this aspect. The dialogue was sometimes a little too modern.

Writing: 2/5

This book probably needs a little more editing. The worst problem was probably the head-hopping. I never knew whose head we were in, which was confusing.

Theme: 3/5

I normally love reading Christian fiction … but in this book, I found the Christian content a little bit preachy. It was hard to get through the paragraphs of Bible that seemed put in at random. Almost everyone in this book was a Christian or became a Christian (usually remarkably easily), which I didn’t find very realistic.

However, the overall theme of redemption and forgiveness was a good one – despite my not liking the portrayal of it – and I did appreciate that.

Content: 2/5

Language: n/a

Violence: robbing, outlawing, and even several murders. Never detailed, always treated as (very) wrong.

Sexual: Jed supposedly raped a girl at one point. It all happened off-screen and was dealt with pretty tastefully.

Overall: 2/5

Not my favorite book. I didn’t really like it and wouldn’t recommend it. However, later works by the author were much better.

Content: 3/5. Bullying, depressing subjects. Didn’t really bug me, but some people are sensitive about that kind of stuff.

The Painting by Kathleen J. Shields

We start our lives as a blank canvas.
It’s our diverse experiences that add color and definition to our painting.

Gerald’s world was often harsh and challenging. Feelings of loneliness and isolation were normal for him. The people in his life didn’t understand him and as a result, often ignored him, or refused to make time for him. However, the nature that surrounded Gerald inspired the most sympathetic and caring young child you could ever know.

It was Gerald’s love of the world’s creatures and all of its beauty that enabled the magic of his painting to come to life. The personal growth and the steps Gerald took to protect his creation is what truly made him exceptional.

There are happier subjects to dwell on than books I just didn’t like, so I won’t talk long about The Painting. I didn’t enjoy it. I found it to be cliché, with flat, dead characters whose actions didn’t make sense.

Basically, Gerald, a bullied kid (whose parents are somehow not stepping in to help their obviously depressed, antisocial, hurting son … what kind of parents are they?!), is gifted a large blank canvass by his father.

Gerald paints a world on the canvass that magically comes to life (although Gerald doesn’t seem that surprised …) and allows people to step inside it and walk around (although Gerald doesn’t, for a reason I didn’t quite catch). Due to the fact that he sees humankind as evil, he doesn’t paint people in.

After 40% of sad Gerald, he meets the new kid in town, bubbly, optimistic Tiffany who acts like your average middle-grades most of the time … except when she starts having these in-depth, easily-could-be-thirty conversations with Gerald on the subject of humankind and how they truly aren’t evil.

Now, I’ve said way more than I promised myself I would. I promised the author I’d give my honest opinion, and so … this is gonna sound so mean … here goes.

This book is immature both in its interpretation of humankind, in its writing, and in its overall message. I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who can’t tell the difference between truth and fiction, for the lines are greatly blurred here.

Thank you for reading my review, and I’m sorry for anyone who loves this book. I’m just giving my honest opinion.

Content: 3/5. Younger teens cautioned for violence and thematic elements. Characters are living immoral lifestyles, although we don’t really know what that entails. Meg’s father apparently lived with a woman without marrying her for a long period of time; Meg wonders if she’d have to do this to be a thief. There’s your average romance-y stuff. No swearing.

Content: 3/5. I’d say thematic elements (fights, guns, knives, semi-detailed … nothing gory or overdone) and then some kissing (not detailed), noticing, all the average romance stuff, but none of it inappropriate. The main thing is that a baby is conceived out of wedlock by minor characters and it barely comes up and is hardly talked about at all. No cussing.

Cover: 4/5. Such mixed feelings … just like with the book! It’s really elegant and pretty, but I feel like it doesn’t portray the actual nature of the novel too well, y’know?